Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

In April 2019 the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris was devastated by fire along with associated water damage as firefighters eventually brought it under control. Miraculously, the historic Great Organ survived, although many of its 8,000 pipes - some dating back centuries - were affected by water and lead dust from the roof. However, the instrument was fully cleaned and some parts upgraded so that it was ready to sing out at the historic re-opening of Notre-Dame in December 2024. In this new recording Vincent Dubois, one of Notre-Dame's four titular organists, presents a lively and varied programme showcasing the monumental instrument's technical, musical, and expressive range in the now improved acoustic of the cathedral. (Apparently, the newly-cleaned stone walls now have a longer reverberation.) The mighty organ does indeed sound impressive and the recording quality is outstanding but whether you, dear listener, will enjoy the 84 minutes of content will depend on your own taste. If you come to this recital hoping for Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs you won't get any but if you want to appreciate a superb musician taking a great instrument through its paces on a selection of favourites from the Great Organ's repertoire including arrangements and transcriptions prepared by earlier organists from Notre-Dame then this is an essential recording. We open with Bach's immortal 'Toccata and Fugue in D minor' and while it is possible to argue that the world does not need yet another recording of this masterpiece it seems appropriate for the occasion and is followed by a Chorale prelude and Cantata that give a pleasing contrast and lead us into the rest of the programme. Many of the names that follow have an association with Notre-Dame or at least French organ music, including Charles-Marie Widor, Cesar Franck, Louis Vierne, Maurice Ravel, Pierre Cochereau, and Claude Balbastre. Ravel's contribution gives us a look back in time with his 'Le Tombeau de Couperin' here transcribed by Dubois and Cochereau's improvisation on a theme by Charles Racquet includes a percussion part played by Gilles Rancitelli. For any listeners feeling homesick we get a quick visit back to London with Vierne's lovely 'Westminster Carillon' but we conclude with a Gallic flourish in Balbastre's rousing 'Marche des Marseilles et l'Air Ca-ira' that sounds as though it is going to raise the roof. C'est tres Magnifique!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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